1. Field of the Invention
The described embodiments relate generally to wager gaming systems and the Internet. More particularly, they relate to registering online gamers in order to abide by local online gaming rules in a secure and trusted manner while maintaining player privacy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Online wager gaming has recently been gaining acceptance from regulatory bodies and is becoming increasingly popular among players in many jurisdictions around the world. It is inevitable that there will be a wide variety of rules and regulations that will be enacted to ensure that players are physically located within a given gaming jurisdiction. With land-based gaming regulations there are many similarities in the rules, but also a significant number of differences. This will likely also be the case with online gambling rules in the various jurisdictions; that is, there will probably by a lot in common, but also a wide variety of differences. Some jurisdictions may have online player registration requirements that simply require an online background check. For example, in Europe some jurisdictions require that online gamblers provide a tax ID or credit card and have a basic online background check performed. Others may have stricter requirements. For example, an online player may have to prove that she is a resident of the jurisdiction by providing hard copies of original documents and physically appearing at a registration venue or office. For example, she may be required to physically go to a sheriff's office or a casino, provide an ID and even fund an online wagering account in person.
These disparate requirements for registration in different jurisdictions may make it difficult for online gamblers to register for each online gaming site separately. It would be desirable to have a system that can process and manage diverse registration requirements for online gaming. This would allow the game developer and casino operator to focus on games and essentially outsource the registration requirement segment (potentially involving knowledge of many different rules and requirements) to a third party. Furthermore, some of the game developers or casino operators may not have a physical site (i.e., a brick and mortar casino), yet some jurisdictions may require that players come to a physical casino and register. In these cases, the game developers (online gaming operators) can use the facilities of the third party as a registration venue. Other possibilities include allowing registration of prospective online players at a sheriff's office or other governmental office. It would be desirable to have a system which is trusted by online gaming providers within a jurisdiction to register players.